1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to refrigerators and, more particularly, to a refrigerator with an integrated vacuum sealer for vacuum packing food or other items.
2. Description of the Background
Oxygen in air promotes certain reactions in foods that cause deterioration of quality. For example, oxygen can cause fats in food to go rancid as well as cause certain odor and color changes. Therefore, removal of oxygen from the package environment will preserve certain quality characteristics and extend the food's shelf life. Vacuum packing and sealing is thus a means of food preservation that preserves food for a greater period of time than conventional plastic wrap or storage bags. Vacuum sealers are commonly used to extend the storage time of refrigerated, dried and frozen foods. In addition to extending the storage time, storing food in vacuum-sealed plastic bags optimizes food storage space.
There currently exist a number of food vacuum sealing devices that are comprised of counter-top appliances, or are designed as impractical and bulky internal storage bins, much like traditional crispers. Counter-top devices can complete a vacuum seal of thermoplastic bags or canisters; however, these devices lack the convenience provided by the present invention. The currently existing vacuum sealing devices must be stored in cabinets or on the counter top, taking up valuable counter or storage space. In addition, these devices must be plugged into a wall outlet, and when not in use, the power cord and attachments must be inconveniently stowed. Lastly, when the user wishes to remove only a portion of the food in the re-sealable container, he/she is required to retrieve the appliance from storage, clear a working space, extract the power cord, and proceed with a number of cumbersome steps simply to reseal the container.
Integrating a vacuum sealer system into a refrigerator would clear up counter space as well as position the vacuum sealer in an easily accessible location.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,875 to Breen issued Nov. 21, 2000 discloses a Vacuum Food Storage System integrated into a refrigerator. Specifically, it discloses a sealed refrigerator storage container (i.e. the fruit, vegetable, or meat drawer) and vacuum pump for evacuating the air from the internal storage container. Once the drawer is closed, the vacuum pumps out the air until a preset pressure is met. The drawer contains a mechanism to release the pressure in order to open the drawer and retrieve the food. This vacuum food storage system may be retrofitted into an existing refrigerator or freezer or built into a newly manufactured refrigerator or freezer.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20030000180 to Singer, filed on Jan. 2, 2003, discloses a vacuum sealer for a bag with a feature that assists in keeping the bag mouth from being sucked shut before air evacuation is complete. An anvil and a sealer bar form a weld across the bag adjacent its open mouth after evacuation. While not specifically addressed, the device appears to be designed as a separate unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,811 to Latella issued on Mar. 21, 1995, discloses a sealed food storage canister integrally formed with a hand operated vacuum pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,710 to Wang issued Feb. 24, 2004, discloses a stand-alone machine for vacuuming the air out of and sealing food containing plastic bags in order to keep the food fresh. The vacuum bag sealing machine comprises a main body; a static sealing unit including an upper and a lower sealing strip, a vacuum generating unit, including a vacuum pump and an exhaust tubule, and a heating and opening-sealing unit. The vacuum pump communicates with a number of through holes formed in the lower sealing strip through the exhaust tubule. The vacuum bag-sealing machine is improved in the static sealing unit and the vacuum-generating unit, so that it has an increased sealing reliability and a quickened vacuuming speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,968 to Kristen issued Jul. 10, 2001 is the volumetric vacuum control used in the Tilia, Inc. FoodSaver® units. Sensors are provided to detect preset vacuum levels as a container is being evacuated. The control of the vacuum level is self-regulating, and compensates for atmospheric conditions, altitudes or pumping capacities. FoodSaver® appliances are typically configured to be used with a variety of bag sizes or with rolls to create custom size packages.
None of the above prior art references discloses a refrigerator with an integral vacuum-sealer food storage system including a vacuum pump and either a vacuum hose input port for vacuum packaging canisters, bottles or jars and/or an integral plastic pouch vacuum sealer.
Therefore, it would be advantageous over the prior art to provide a refrigerator with a built-in vacuum-sealer food storage system that is recessed into the refrigerator door for easy and convenient access, while no longer taking up valuable counter space. This would eliminate the inconvenience of sealing and resealing both bags and canisters with a stand-alone appliance. The user could remove a small portion of preserved food for the use at hand, and quickly and conveniently re-seal a container in a matter of moments. Finally, as an integral part of the refrigerator, the device could look natural and complimentary.